Lt Gen BNBM Prasad, SM, VSM
Physician to Late Field Marshal Manekshaw & Former Director General Hospital Services
Indian Armed Forces
Field Marshal Manekshaw, the legendary Army Chief and the Chief Architect of the victory
in 1971 Indo-Pak War was born at Amritsar to Parsi parents on 03 April 1914 and as we
celebrate his 109th
birth anniversary , the grateful nation salutes him for his exceptional
contribution as a military leader while he commanded one of the finest Army in the world
known for bravery and sacrifice.
Young Maneksahw had all the making of a leader. As a child, he was exceptionally good at
Mathematics and English standing first in the Senior Cambridge examination for the entire
United Punjab Province and his ambition then was to become a Gynecologist that was to
India’s fortune, thwarted by his doctor father who had earlier served in the British Army and
had settled down for his medical Practice at Amritsar. Manekshaw who was in teens then,
rebelled against his father and opted for a military career, joining Indian Military Academy
at Dehradun where his outspoken nature and friendly attitude became the talk of the town.
He expressed his views boldly yet remained darling of his friends and superiors. After his
memorable stint at this prestigious Military Academy, he was the first few lucky ones to get
King’s commission in the British Army that had few Indian Officers and his British Instructor
there never ever imagined that one day, this gentleman cadet would send chills to the spine
of the foe and teach the aggressor the lesson of the life time.
I971 war under General Manekshaw’s military leadership was one of its kind for Indian
Subcontinent, gaining control of territories outside the Nation’s boundaries and carving out
a new Nation out of a hostile and brutal neighbor. This war happened at a time when India
had a monumental loss of her territories to Chinese aggression and 1962 military debacle
due to political blunder of Himalayan proportions was still haunting the psyche of every
Indian. Interestingly then Pakistan’s President General Yahya Khan was his colleague during
their stint as staff officers of Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck and at the time of partition,
Sam Manekshaw, had parted his red James Motor Cycle to Yahya Khan who wanted to
poses this unique two wheeler at any cost and had promised Sam that he would pay rupees
1000 once he was in Pakistan. General Yahya thought he was smart and had outwitted his
friend, a gentle man. Yes, Yahya Khan got the bike of his heart but he did not have the
courtesy to repay the promised sum to Sam. Destiny has its own way and Pakistan under
General Yahya Khan, the brutal military dictator, was dismantled by his Samaritan friend,
who got more than what he ever imagined for his famous bike- a truncated Pakistan and
nearly 93,000 prisoners of war as a prize money.
When the refugee crisis was mounting up and several lakhs of hapless citizens of erstwhile
East Pakistan started pouring in to eastern India, it was the worst humanitarian crisis ever
witnessed by Independent India. Then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi had no other option
left but to wage a war against Pakistan to prevent the relentless influx of refugees. It was the
most difficult time for India and prevailing conditions then were not conducive for an all-out
war. Then Army Chief SHFJ Manekshaw did not buckle under pressure for agreeing to Mrs.
Gandhi’s order for an immediate war and the most charismatic General took a firm stand
against wishes of the most powerful woman Prime Minister, reassuring her that Indian Army
under his guidance would strike a lethal blow to Pakistan at appropriate time of his choosing,
ensuring 200 % victory against the brutal oppressor with no ifs and buts. In all his humility
and grace with due respect to his Prime Minister, he stood his ground like a solid rock and he
was ready to sacrifice his illustrious career by sticking to his guns. True to his words, he did it
in style and the historic war lasted less than 2 weeks bringing Pakistan to her knees and
reinforcing the much needed confidence to the Indian Nation in her military abilities. 1971
Victory against Pakistan was exceptional that could be only achieved despite many odds by
an exceptionally outstanding General, known for his straight talk and no nonsensical
approach. Notwithstanding US pressure and India lacking advanced weaponry, theocratic and
autocratic Pakistan was shown the door when mighty world powers remained silent on the
worst atrocities perpetuated on the humanity under General Niazi, the butcher of East
Bengal.
Field Mrashal Manekshaw was a ‘Soldiers General’ and darling of the troops. During his
illustrious career spanning over 4 decades in uniform, he remained compassionate and
never harmed his subordinate. He used to proudly say that he has not punished anyone,
even those who have been recommended for stringent punishment by senior Commanders.
His critiques questioned his approach but his subordinate knew very well that General
Manekshaw can never be vindictive, sacrificing a lamb for his glory. For them, he was a real
Tiger who will fight with the might with his might and protect his tribe. This conspicuous
attribute of his personality along with razor sharp intellect made him a super General and
an exceptional military leader who got the best from his troops.
Contrary to easy going exteriors, late Field Marshal Manekshaw was a thorough bread
professional and a perfectionist. He had profound depth of knowledge and human
understanding with capacity for hard work. He told me once – “Doctor luck plays an
important role and there is a thin line that that differentiates between being Court�martialed or becoming a Field Marshal”. He would have gone home as a Major, yet became
a Field Marshal by his deeds though he attributed all his success to his luck. As a young
Major while was posted at Burma during second World war, he was battling for his life with
7 bullets damaging his body and those grievous battle injuries failed to dampen his spirits.
After recovery, he went back to the battle field with renewed energy and enthusiasm. It is
obvious that luck favors the brave and for Sam who was always in the firing line with
perilous risks in offing, luck had no choice but to favor the most valiant one in both letter
and spirit. After his retirement from the service, he never aspired to occupy a high office. He
kept away from politics and settled down for a peaceful and contended life at distant
Coonoor, far away from Lutyen’s Delhi where he was entitled to for a bungalow. He was
denied his pension and other perks and privileges and thanks to personal intervention of
late President Abdul Kalam, he got his pension but it was too late.
